Red Funnel carry rare white lion across the Solent

white-lion-iwzoo

This in from Red Funnel, in their own words, Ed


Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferries has helped the Isle of Wight Zoo to welcome a new addition this week – a six year old white lioness named Frosty! On loan from West Midlands Safari Park, Red Funnel helped transport Frosty across the Solent and to her new home at the Isle of Wight Zoo, to join Casper, the white male lion already living among the zoo’s collection.

Preserving dwindling populations
Frosty and Casper will play an important role in helping the team to promote the need to preserve dwindling populations of lions throughout Africa, as well as highlighting the particular plight of the lions used for trophy hunting.

The Isle of Wight Zoo is one of just three places across the UK where visitors can see white lions, and visitors will be able to catch a glimpse of Frosty from this February half-term onwards.

Hopefully not a frosty start
The zoo team were very excited to welcome Frosty to her new home, and extremely grateful to Red Funnel for transporting her across the Solent. Isle of Wight Zoo’s director, Charlotte Corney, said “We have high hopes that these two lion hearts will not give one another a ‘frosty’ reception when they eventually meet! This is a great opportunity to enhance the lives of both animals while helping us to highlight increasingly urgent conservation issues for the species. Red Funnel has played a key part in making this happen.”

“Really pleased to have been involved”
Tom Pell-Stevens, head of marketing for Red Funnel added, “We’re really pleased to have been involved in the transportation of Frosty to her new home. Lion conservation is an issue we are keen support and of course we’re happy to do all we can to help one of the Island’s best attractions, the Isle of Wight Zoo.”